Rhapsody in Blue
"Rhapsody in Blue" is a 1924 musical composition by American composer George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. It was featured as a segment in Fantasia 2000, having initially been developed as a standalone short. The song can also be heard in the lobby playlist of the Hotel New York. Summary Set during the Great Depression, it tells the story of several people in a daily life during a rough period. It starts with the following: *Construction worker Duke heading off to work, while having dreams of being a jazz musician. *A jobless man named Joe is having coffee at a diner, feeling depressed at having no job and having a lack of money and is treated badly due to being out of money, not even having enough to spend on food. *A little girl named Rachel has to go various classes throughout the day while her parents work in the struggling economy, having to be with her nasty nanny throughout the day doing things she has no interest in or is bad at (such as ballet, which leads to her crashing into a closet, swimming, where she is covered from head to toe with various swim aids, singing badly to the point a dog faints, splashing her art teacher with blue paint, tying up someone with a gymnastic rope, just blocking a tennis ball with the racket, and almost falling off her piano-playing chair). *A man named Flying John is out and about with his wife Margaret, getting stuff for her dog while he just wants to have fun. Each of them goes through a rather dry day until something miraculous happens to each of them that changes everything. Each of the characters each have a different goal they each want to go to at some point, which is shown while each of them watch a group of people skating on the ice at Rockefeller Center: Duke wishes to become a drummer in a jazz band, Rachel wishes to spend more time with her parents, Joe wishes to have a job, and John wishes to be out and about, having fun. *Duke decides that he has had enough of the job that he hates and goes off to join a jazz band, but has trouble getting to the studio, which results in him “buying” a kid's scooter to make it in time. *In quitting, Duke gives up his jackhammer which lands in Joe's arms, and Duke's boss hires him on the spot, believing he's a part of the night shift, giving Joe a job that he can have to himself. *Rachel, while resisting her nanny's insistence to go to the next class, ends up knocking her rubber ball off a window sill and into the street. Duke ends up bumping the ball into the buildings, which results in it getting the attention of Rachel’s parents, who see her head right for oncoming traffic. In their panic, her parents save her just in time to make sure she doesn't end up getting hit, leaving the nanny dismayed. *While Joe is starting his new job, he accidentally snags Margaret on a hook meant for some bolts, freeing John and he goes to Duke's grand debut in his jazz band, taking part with the dancers. So in the end, they each get what they always wanted. Credits * Directed by: Eric Goldberg * Co-Producer: Patricia Hicks * Conducted by: Bruce Broughton Artistic Supervisors *Art Director: Susan McKinsey Goldberg *Artistic Consultant: Al Hirschfield *Artistic Coordinator: Dan Hansen *Assistant Artistic Coordinator: David Blum *Layout Supervisor: Rasoul Azadani *Background Supervisor: Natalie Franscioni-Karp *Clean-Up Supervisors: Emily Jiuliano, Vera Pacheco *Visual Effects Supervisor: Mauro Maressa *Production Manager: Loni Beckner-Black *Assistant Production Manager: Monica Lago-Kaytis Animators: Tim Allen, James Baker, Jared Beckstrand, Nancy Beiman, Jerry Yu Ching, Andreas Deja, Robert Espanto Domingo, Brian Ferguson, Doug Frankel, Tom Gately, David Hancock, Jin Kim, Bert Klein, Joe Oh, Jamie Oliff, Mark Pudleiner, Michael Show, Marc Smith, Chad Stewart, Michael Stocker, Andreas Wessel-Therhorn, Theresa Wiseman, Anthony Ho Wong, Ellen Woodbury, Phil Young Layout *Journeymen: Doug Walker, Antonio Navarro, Jeff Purves *Key Assistants: Mark E. Koerner, Trish Coveney-Rees *Assistants: Kevyn Wallace, Donivan W. Howard, Chung Sup Yoon *Blue Sketch: Bill Davis Backgrounds * Journeymen: Greg Miller, Thomas Woodington * Assistant: John Piampiano Visual Effects * Assistant Head of Effects: Marlon West * Effects Animators: Colbert Fennelly, Michael Cadwallader Jones, Dorse A. Lanpher, Dan Lund, David 'Joey' Mildenberger * Key Assistant Animators: Mabel L. Gesner, Joseph Christopher Pepe, Steve Starr, John Tucker * Assistant Animator: Dennis Spicer * Breakdown: Nicole Alene Zamora, Jay Baker, Melinda Wang * Inbetweener: Philip Pignotti Production * Production Accountant: Liza Breuninger * Assistant Production Accountant: Maureen Mo O'Hare Davis Category:Area-Music Category:Songs Category:Instrumental songs Category:Fantasia segments Category:Non-Disney songs